From Both Sides Now
by moreprincessthanpresident
Summary: A post-series story looking at what all our favorite people have been up to! 2 chapters per couple with CJ and Danny being up first. I'll be the first to say it's a little fluffy- but still a great story! Please read and enjoy!
1. Chapter 1

The West Wing Fanfiction

"From Both Sides Now"

**Author's Note**: Just wanted to say a quick hello and tell you a little about this story. It's a post-series that will eventually feature much of the principal cast from the show. These first 2 chapters will be about CJ and Danny, the next two about another pairing, etc. until a final chapter that brings them all together for Christmas in Manchester with the Bartlets. This is my own version of what happens to all of them and I truly hope you enjoy it.

**Disclaimer:** I promise I don't own this show or these characters. I'm pretty sure that owning other people is illegal anyways and that I could be thrown in jail for it. ;) But seriously- no copyright infringement nonsense is intended.

Ch. 1 CJ and Danny 2000 & 2007

"_I've looked at life from both sides now- from win and lose and still somehow it's life's illusions I recall- I really don't know life at all."_

**May 2000**

She knew that liking him was wildly inappropriate- even she couldn't think of way to "spin" their relationship so that they could both keep the jobs for which they cared so much.

The White House Press Secretary and a White House Reporter. She couldn't help but think it could be turned into yet another bad remake of "Romeo and Juliet."

But every time she looked at that damn goldfish she couldn't help but think of him, smile, sigh, and wonder "what if?" Because, really, only the perfect man would fly right back the cheddar snack crackers and go straight to the live animal based on a conversation with Josh Lyman. CJ was probably lucky she wasn't the owner of bear because she also liked Teddy Grahams.

At night she'd allow herself to think about that "maybe someday" but for now she'd keep treating him with as much indifference and possible and project a practiced air of annoyance towards him. She could only hope that no one would notice that her eyes would light up just a little when he was around and or when someone said his name.

**May 2007**

Danny really was waiting for her at the arrivals gate of LAX- sporting a huge grin and holding an even bigger bottle of SPF 50 sunscreen along with a package of actual Goldfish crackers.

He took her back to the temporary apartment he had found for them and cooked dinner. CJ had mentioned to him on the phone the previous week that she thought she could probably go the rest of her life without eating anymore take-out. She washed the dishes while he dried and when they were done he put a CD into the old stereo he had brought with him. They slow danced around and around the hardwood floor of their relatively furntitureless living room. They reveled the feel of being in each other's arms again and talked quietly with each other. The inauguration had to be discussed, of course, and CJ's last day in the West Wing but mostly they talked about the house that they were going to buy and her new job and his new writing project. They talked of all the wonderful things they would have together now that it was, for once, the right time.

CJ started her new job at the beginning of March. She couldn't wait for the saving the world to start but first she had to begin organizing and hiring her new team. She needed staff for all aspects of the corporation from research to finances to media.

Her first call was to her longtime assistant and friend Carol to run the media team. She admired the woman's skill in dealing with the press and knew that she had a strong background in advertising. A sociology professor from UCLA left his job to run the research department and lab. Dr. Wilson was slightly eccentric but brilliant and passionate about CJ's infrastructure cause. She took a chance and hired a 25 years old and just finished his MBA kid from Wyoming named Scott to be in charge of finances and accounting. He was level-headed and quite serious for being so young. That is- until he started talking about how he and math were going to actually help save the world. CJ couldn't quite put her finger on just what it was but something about him reminded her strongly of young Josh Lyman with much better hair.

Perhaps her most surprising hire though came from a phone call from Liz Bartlet. She had finally decided to leave Doug and start over with the kids somewhere new. Liz's political savvy made her a huge asset to the team and she was invaluable when working with Washington for the needed legislation.

By the end of the month CJ had assembled her team of superheroes and she and Danny had moved into their new home in Santa Monica. And as happy as CJ was with her new job it didn't take her long to realize that Danny was the reason her eyes constantly shined with happiness instead of unshed tears. He was the proverbial cherry on top of the ice cream sundae. It was the best feeling in the world to have someone to come home to every night and wake up next to in the morning.

They got married that May- just the two of them at the courthouse in front of a justice of the peace. They had both been up close and personal witnesses to some of the biggest spectacles of the last decade so they wanted their day to just be about them and their love for each other.

It was Carol who noticed CJ's new ring at work the next week. Her squealing made CJ go temporarily deaf in her left ear. She didn't have the heart to say "no" when Carol begged her to let her be the one to draft the press release and announce the news to the world. But CJ did make a phone call to a farm in New Hampshire just before the story broke. And she laughed for over an hour when the following week a crystal glass goldfish arrived at her front stoop from the office of the new White House Chief of Staff. It was accompanied but a note that he just thought they ought to know that he would be taking full credit for all their present and future happiness.

Toby brought Molly and Huck to visit in July to take them on their first trip to Disneyland. Danny couldn't decide if it was Molly or CJ who was more excited to get to meet Cinderella. And on the way home it was she who was in the backseat of the car between the twins- dead asleep with a little person curled up asleep on both sides of her. Danny looked in the rearview mirror and couldn't help but wonder if there was possibly even more joy waiting for them in the future.

They decided to spend their first Christmas together by themselves in California- making many promises to be in Manchester the next year. Danny got to learn about CJ's massive collection of Christmas ornaments. Some were relics from her childhood and some she had purchased or made at parties over the years. But most were the representation of six years of Christmas gifts from the White House Press Corps to their beloved secretary.

CJ got to learn Danny's Grandma Betty's secret recipe for Christmas cookies. This experience ended in them burning half of them and engaging in a flour fight that covered surfaces in the kitchen for weeks despite vigorous clean-up attempts.

They exchanged gifts that morning and by the evening they were cuddled together on the sofa to watch CJ's favorite Christmas special- "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer." And it was there that they both fell asleep thinking of the best year of their lives so far and all that coming in the New Year and the many to follow.

**Author's Note:**

Thanks for reading! I have the second CJ and Danny chapter already written so it's just a matter of typing. In the mean time- review and tell me what you think? Pretty please?

-Emily


	2. Chapter 2

The West Wing Fanfiction

"From Both Sides Now"

**Author's Note:**

So here is Ch.2- the second part of the story of CJ and Danny. We're looking at her pregnancy and birth of the baby as well as a few months after. Enjoy!

**Disclaimer:** See Chapter 1

Ch. 2- CJ and Danny 2009

**November 2009** (A few months following the dedication of the library)

CJ still couldn't quite believe the way her life had turned out. Or the complete 360 that it had done in less than three years. A wonderful husband. A beautiful daughter. A work schedule that didn't include strategizing the best way to spin that the president doesn't like green beans.

The baby was nine months old now. She'd been born on January 12th during the warmest winter that California had gotten to experience in over forty years. CJ would never forget the day she was born- or the day they found out she even existed.

_Flashback_

_Late April 2008_

_CJ knew that it was terribly cliché but she really had thought she had the flu. She hadn't bothered with a vaccine that year and assumed she picked up the strain that had been flitting around the office since February. But after two weeks of feeling like utter crap Danny had loaded her into the car and taken her to see a doctor._

_And so it turned out she was actually six weeks pregnant. CJ and Danny were both ecstatic- terrified out of their minds, of course, but completely over the moon. At 43 CJ was considered as an even more high risk than high risk pregnancy but after week 12 the morning (read all-day) sickness had abated and she had never felt better. She finally felt like the last puzzle piece of her life was clicking into place._

_At 20 weeks her bump wasn't noticeable to those who didn't know about the pregnancy already but by 22 weeks there had been what Danny dubbed a "bump explosion." CJ spent a great deal of time referring to herself as a "cow." Danny knew better than to argue with CJ about that when she was having a day so instead told her at least she was a cute cow. He also spent a lot of time suggesting "farm names" for the baby. Heidi was his favorite with Hilda running a close second._

_Actually, they had a difficult time thinking of names for the baby. By the time CJ left work for her maternity leave at 34 weeks she had given up in despair. They didn't even have a proper list. Anything they talked about usually stemmed from whatever TV show they had been watching that night. And as much as CJ loved "Friends" she wouldn't be naming her baby Monica. _

_The biggest debates were about nicknames and legacies. Should they name her after someone or coming up with something new themselves? Should the name be easily shortened or not? And they had to make sure it sounded okay with Concannon. CJ was rather against nicknames while Danny was pro. She'd been CJ for over 30 years in an effort to be taken seriously in a predominately man's world and now she felt stuck with it. Only Danny didn't always call her CJ. She didn't hate it or anything she just didn't want to doom her daughter before she was even born. Danny's argument was that literally everyone they knew went by a nickname- him, President and Dr. Bartlet, etc._

_It was on Christmas Day- that they'd once again spent by themselves in California becase CJ was too pregnant to fly that inspiration finally came upon them. CJ was watching "The Sound of Music" DVD that Josh had sent her for Christmas with a note suggesting that "Liesel" would be a great name for the baby and Danny was flipping through a chapter of his book that had just come back from his editor. It was the rustling of the pages that grabbed CJ's attention._

"_Paige," she said._

"_What's that?" said Danny._

"_Paige. We should name the baby Paige."_

"_I like it…" replied Danny thoughtfully. "But whatever made you think of it?"_

"_I looked over and noticed you flipping through those and I just realized that without pages we wouldn't be sitting here. I was the Press Secretary and you were a reporter- our entire lives revolved around what got printed on newspaper pages. Pages took us on our journey through the White House together but not really and made us who we are. The most beautiful stories were once only blank pages. This baby is our new story."_

_Danny leaned over and kissed her. "I think it's perfect," he whispered. He continued, "And we both know what her middle name should be…"_

"_What's that?"_

"_Abigail."_

_CJ just smiled at him and then glanced at the clock on the wall. "It's late on the East Coast but I think we have another phone call to make."_

_On January 11__th__ Danny grumpily agreed to drive CJ into the city so she could be at a meeting she had scheduled over six months ago and was absolutely refusing to miss._

"_Your due date is in three days! This really couldn't have been done on Skype or something?"_

"_Oh just trust me and shut up and drive," snapped CJ. She hadn't slept at all the night before because the baby was practicing for the ballet and wouldn't settle down. She just wanted to get through this meeting that she truly couldn't remember the importance of anymore and get back into her pajamas. _

_They were only five minutes away from the office when CJ suddenly paled and whispered, "Oh shit!"_

"_What?"_

"_Danny you've got to turn around! My water just broke and I've got to call Liz and tell her to cover the meeting so we can get to the hospital."_

_Danny did a rather quick (and probably illegal) U-turn whilst muttering, "Leave it to you to still be worried about the damn meeting…."_

_Twelve hours later it was 2 a.m. and still no baby. Carol and Liz were sitting in the waiting room. The Bartlets had gotten on a plance at 10 their time and were now en route to the hospital. CJ had argued with them for months about coming but Abbey had quietly assured CJ that the president really was up to it. As soon as Abbey arrived and had given both Liz and Carol a quick hug she insisted on going back to the room to talk to CJ's OB-GYN._

"…_more like interrogate," said Jed_

_Finally at 6 a.m. Danny walked into the waiting room looking exhausted but jubilant._

"_She's here! You three can come back for a little while now. Abbey's still back there- acting a little like a guard dog."_

_This earned a chuckle as the president, Liz, and Carol followed Danny back to CJ's room. They all oohed and aahhed over the baby girl. She was born weighing a healthy seven pounds with big, blue eyes and the beginnings of hair that CJ swore was going to be red. _

_CJ and Danny had only told the baby's name to the elder Bartlets so Liz and Carol were told the name and the story behind it. _

_Paige had been awake as she was passed from person to person but eventually fell asleep in Abbey's arms. _

_Their guests left the hospital at 8 to rest for a few hours- leaving the new parents alone with their daughter. They were watching her sleep. _

"_She's beautiful," whispered CJ._

"_Just like her mom," replied Danny as he pressed a kiss into her forehead._

_End Flashback_

**Back to November 2009**

Paige hadn't begun to walk yet but was crawling all over the place and easily and loudly recognized CJ as "mama" and Danny as "dada". Her eyes were still big and blue but her hair color had turned into what Carol told everyone was "strawberry blonde." And goodness knows it was going to be curly. CJ liked it because it reminded her both of Danny and of her mother- who she desperately wished could have gotten to meet her granddaughter.

The first time they were away from her was a few months earlier at the opening for the Bartlet Library. Danny's sister had come to visit and babysit but CJ was a nervous wreck about being gone for TWO WHOLE DAYS.

But the time was quickly approaching for Paige's first trip. The family would be going to New Hampshire to spend Christmas with all the Bartlets (Liz and her kids were flying out with them) and many more of their old, special friends. CJ was so excited. At the library was the first time she'd seen any of them since before her pregnancy and she was looking forward to the chance to catch up with all of them. She knew a lot had changed in all of their lives too.

She'd seen so much good and bad during her time at the White House. And she knew that it was still going on every day. But looking at her husband and daughter she saw the very best that life had to offer and all the great adventures that had yet to happen. She's seen both, all really, sides of life by now but she knew that the most perfect joy could only come from letting go and accepting we really don't know much about life at all.

**Author's Note**:

Well that's the 2nd and as of now final CJ and Danny chapter. The next two I'm thinking will be about Josh and Donna and I'll do as many more two part pieces of certain couples that I can think of. The final chapter(s) will be Christmas of 2009 in Manchester with everybody.

Hope you're enjoying! Leave a review?

-Emily


End file.
